When All Is Said and Done
by angel17712
Summary: Starts after Shane yells at Mitchie for lying. He deals with his anger toward her, while Caitlyn comforts Mitchie. Will deal with several perspectives and so on. Smitchie pairing.
1. Shane's dilemmas

Making Choices

Shane's perspective

Author- Angel17712

Last Updated- 7/13/2008

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own any of the characters from the movie Camp Rock. If I did, let's just say that there would have been a kiss at the end like I wanted.

A/N- Okay, this is my first foray into Camp Rock, so please do be gentle. One of my best friends, Enigmaforum, ended up gushing to me about the movie, so I watched it, fell in love with it, and then she proceeded to write Smitchie, thus making me fall even more in love with the couple. I originally wanted to do this and the next chapter (yes, there will be at least another chapter, if not more, if Enigma has her way! -grins-) as prologues, if you could call them that, for what happened before her two stories. We eventually came to the conclusion that that wasn't going to happen, and you'll find out why as you read.

This chapter is dedicated to Enigmaforum, for just being an awesome friend and giving me feedback when I needed it. You rock, hon! Hope everyone enjoys!

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"Well, save it for your interview with Pop Informer Magazine. I know I gave you an earful," Shane spat out, his chest heaving slightly. He stood there for a moment and just looked at Mitchie's heartbroken face; half wishing that he could take back his harsh words and the other half not regretting them at all. He exhaled sharply before turning on his heel and heading toward the cabin where his uncle taught lessons, which he knew would be empty for now.

The door slammed shut behind him and after a quick glance around the room, Shane knew that no one would be able to hear him outside of the walls that made up the building. His rage quickly unfurled upon a metal folding chair which sailed through the air, crashing to the floor. For the next few minutes, he continued to hurl and throw items across the room, not caring what they were: instruments, papers, pens, pencils, chairs, you name it. He was beyond angry at this point; he was livid. He had opened up to Mitchie, he had trusted her, and this was how she repaid him, by lying to him! His chest rose and fell with exertion as he glanced about the now messy room, rage still flowing through his body and nothing to take it out on. He ended up spinning towards the nearest wall and lashing out at it, kicking and punching at it until his body screamed for reprieve. He sighed heavily as he rested an arm against the wall and his head against said arm as he caught his breath, hot tears falling unbidden down his cheeks, searing them on their paths down. After a few moments, he turned around and leaned against the solid surface, letting himself sink to the ground as he sighed. His hands ran through his dark locks in frustration as his mind kept replaying what had just happened with Mitchie. The worst part about it was that he couldn't stop thinking about her. Oh, he didn't want to think about her at all, but it was almost as if his brain absolutely refused to let him stop, as though it was stuck on autopilot.

'_Yeah, but you've been thinking about her all summer and haven't been able to stop, so why should now be any different?'_ a little voice in the back of his mind whispered. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the thoughts that were clouding it and only managing to make things worse by doing so. He brought his hands up to his face to swipe the tears away before digging the palms of his hands into his eyes and rubbing, hoping futilely that by doing so, the never-ending sight of seeing Mitchie, _his_ Mitchie, try to not break down would disappear. _'Your Mitchie? When was she ever yours?' the voice scathingly interrupted._ Unfortunately, it only brought it back tenfold, the moment playing itself out in his head over and over again, like some fucked up beyond all reason nightmare. Every time he forced himself to not think about her or that god forsaken moment, other moments only managed to come to the forefront of his mind; the first time they met on the docks, him singing and playing for her ears only, the canoe ride that they'd had that day before lunch.

"Stop thinking about her, Gray. It's not gonna do you any good to do that. You can't change the way things are, so just get used to it," he told himself, as if hoping that by some chance that that would actually work, which it didn't. He sighed and looked at the wall on the other side of the cabin, seeing that the only thing that had managed to escape his wrath was the wall clock that read just past 6 p.m. He did some quick calculations in his head; it was just after 6 p.m., which meant that dinner would be almost done or finished at this point. If he waited a little bit longer, the mess hall would be empty of screaming, annoying fangirls and the barrage of questions that he would no doubt receive due to the scene that had occurred earlier. He pursed his lips in thought and sighed before his eyes landed on a guitar that was on a stand in the far corner. He made a face before getting up and walking over to it, stepping over chairs and other various items that were strewn across the floor while wondering how the guitar had managed to escape his anger. The guitar was quickly in his possession and a guitar pick was retrieved from his pants pocket as he headed back to the wall, sitting back down on the floor. He took a calming breath and closed his eyes, his hands and arms automatically going into the proper position and beginning to strum the guitar lightly. Various chords and notes flowed beautifully from the instrument as he began to play song after song, welcoming the distraction and peace that managed to come and thankful for both. He continued to strum and didn't stop, his hands unknowingly beginning to play 'I gotta find you'. His mind was instantly invaded by unwanted images of himself and Mitchie again as he played the song for her for the first time, remembering how her face lit up in joy as she listened, the sway of her hair as she moved with the song, her scent washing over him. He gasped in shock at how it seemed as though he was still in the same moment, as though him yelling at her in front of a good number of people had never happened.

'_You know, it can still be sort of be that way. All you have to do is go and see her and let her explain. You forgive her, she forgives you, you tell her how you really feel, hope it works out, and everyone could possibly go home happy,'_ the voice niggled at him again.

Shane groaned out of frustration, telling himself that he was not going to go and see her anytime soon. He knew he needed to figure out what the hell was going on with him first and how he felt before he even dared to entertain any ideas considering Mitchie Torres. He was surprised to see that it was fairly dark outside, and looked at the clock, seeing that it was half past 8. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise that he had managed to stay put in the cabin for that long, and that he had neither been found nor had anyone come looking for him. He rose lithely to his feet, walking across the room to set the guitar on its stand. He glanced at the room and winced, making a mental note to try and remember to tell his Uncle Brown that the room needed to be cleaned.

The door creaked open as Shane pushed against it slowly, sticking his head between the space left by the door and doorway, looking around to make sure that no one was around. When he was satisfied that he was alone, he pushed the door open more and walked outside, shutting the door quietly behind him. There weren't any activities scheduled for that night that he had to appear at, so he was free to do as he wanted. He thought of going back to his cabin to rest, but his stomach had other ideas, growling loudly to get his attention. He remembered that he hadn't grabbed much of anything to eat at lunchtime; he had wanted to spend time with Mitchie before the concert. He shook his head again before setting down the path to head toward the mess hall to hopefully get something to eat. As much as he didn't want to, his mind continued to drift to Mitchie and thoughts of her. Passing by a cabin, the sounds of crying caught his ears, making him stop in his tracks and his brow furrow in concentration. He quickly looked around to make sure that there wasn't anyone around before silently creeping toward the cabin and up the wooden stairs, being careful to avoid the parts that would creak if stepped on. He couldn't have been more unprepared for the sight that met his dark eyes.

Mitchie had her head on some girl's shoulder (Caitlyn, he remembered, was her name), as she sobbed openly. He watched as Caitlyn patted her friend on the back, comforting Mitchie. For a moment, Shane was jealous of Caitlyn and wished beyond anything that he could be in her place, that he could be the one soothing the girl that he had these indescribable feelings for that he didn't want. He shook his head once, remembering what had happened and that he shouldn't want to comfort Mitchie. His eyes fell to Mitchie's face, making him inhale slightly. Her face was flushed red, her eyes were bloodshot, and tear tracks were visible on her face, making him wish that he could go in there and wipe them away and making him kick himself for wishing that.

"But the look on his face! He's never going to forgive me, Caitlyn!" came the broken sob, knocking Shane out of his reverie. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't not listen in to the conversation.

"Hey, you don't know that. I mean, I forgave you, didn't I? Besides, if he's as good of a guy as you told me he was earlier, then he would forgive you. You made a mistake, you're only human. If he can't see that and that he should forgive you, then it's his loss," Caitlyn said softly, making Mitchie only cry more.

Shane bit his lip and turned away from the scene, hoping that his heart would stop constricting painfully in his chest, making it harder to breathe. He knew that it was him that they were talking about. The look on Mitchie's face was forever imprinted in his mind, making him wish that he hadn't been the one to do that to her.

'_Why not? It's not as though you have feelings for, so it shouldn't matter at all, right?' _

He groaned aloud and let his head drop back to hit the outside wall of the cabin, forgetting where he was. A gasp could be heard from inside the cabin, followed by Caitlyn saying "Stay here. Let me go see who's outside." Shane's eyes widened as he quickly and quietly jumped up and over the railing, hiding himself effectively in the bushes. Footsteps soon followed on the porch along with a "Is there anyone there?" He bit his lip hard and pressed himself against the wood of the cabin, trying not to make any noise and willing her to go away, hoping that she would do so soon. A moment later, the footsteps receded back into the cabin and the door shut behind her, making Shane sigh to himself. He extracted himself from the bushes, glancing around again before continuing on his way to the mess hall, Caitlyn's words replaying in his mind unwillingly.

"_I mean, I forgave you, didn't I? Besides, if he's as good of a guy as you told me he was earlier, then he would forgive you. You made a mistake, you're only human. If he can't see that and that he should forgive you, then it's his loss."_

His brow was now furrowed in thought as he wondered about what that meant. What did Caitlyn mean, _'a mistake'_? Was it true? Could Mitchie lying to him have been some sort of mistake? And apparently, it seemed as though Mitchie had told Caitlyn all about him, making him wonder just how much Caitlyn really knew. And damn his mind, for it was now torn again; he wanted to hear Mitchie's explanation, but the wounds were still too fresh and his pride was hurt.

He noticed that he had almost passed by the mess hall, he was so lost in thought. He headed around to the back entrance, where the cooks and kitchen staff entered, making him scoff and shake his head. The kitchen was pristine, not a mess anywhere, and it was completely devoid of people. There had to be someone there; the lights were still on.

"Hello? Is there anyone in here?" Shane called out.

A few beats passed before a door to his left opened, and a middle aged woman appeared. She wore an apron that was dirty from the day's work, her hair pulled back loosely and her clothes and shoes comfortable for work in the kitchen. Atop her head was a chef's hat, noting that she worked there. "Hi, can I help you?"

"Um, yeah, I hope so. I'm kinda hoping that I could maybe get something to eat. I know it's late and all, and that you've already cleaned up, so if you don't want to, I'll understand," Shane replied.

The woman smiled. "No, it's no problem at all. Tell you what; why don't I make you a burger and fries while you take a seat?"

He nodded gratefully before pulling a wooden stool over and sitting down at the counter. "Thanks for doing this. I appreciate it."

"Like I said, it's not a problem. I love working here, and my daughter gets to go here as well. I'm Connie Torres," the woman introduced herself as she held out a hand.

"I'm Shane," he smiled as he shook her hand.

"Ahh, so you must be Brown's nephew then. He talks about you all the time," Connie told him as she began pulling out what she needed to make a burger.

"I didn't know that," Shane admitted sheepishly, a slight blush adorning his cheeks.

"Mm-hmm. He's great, and he's the one that hired me to come and work here over the summer. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and he agreed to let my daughter, Mitchie, come here as well. Maybe you know her or you've seen her around camp?"

Shane swallowed hard, thankful that Connie was busy with making the food and hadn't seen him. _'I've done more than just see her around camp, I know her personally. She's the reason I feel like this right now, and I hate it with a passion.'_ He knew that he couldn't very well tell the woman before him that was Mitchie's mother that, or what had happened. He'd be a dead man.

"Yeah, she's actually in one of my classes that I teach," he answered off-handedly.

Connie put a burger patty on the silver grill, some fries in the fryer and turned to him with a smile. "I think it's great that you came here to help teach. Do you like being here okay?"

Shane let out a sharp breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding. Unwanted images crossed his mind again, making him sigh to himself and forgetting that Connie was there.

"You all right?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts and looking at him with concern.

He half shrugged, not sure of how to answer. "Yes. No. I don't know," he said with evident frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly and shutting his eyes to try and block out the thoughts of Mitchie.

"Want to talk about it? I'm a good listener, I've had plenty of practice, and as you can see, I'm not too busy," she offered with a comforting smile.

He shrugged again, and the only sound in the room was the grease as it popped continuously. Finally working up the nerve, Shane started to speak before he lost it.

"There's this girl that I met, here at the camp. I was down by the docks one day, all by myself, and she'd been listening to me play the guitar. She made me sort of mad at first, but she surprised me in a good way. Then we continued to run into each other and we agreed to meet each other every day at a certain time and place. I know it sounds crazy, but I started liking her, a lot. And I didn't know much about her but that didn't matter to me, and I just confided in her about a lot," he said before pausing to take a breath.

Connie patiently nodded and continued to work at putting together his burger, having had plenty of experience with Mitchie and knew that the poor boy would continue when he was ready.

"And by the time I realized I was falling for her, it was too late and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I found out today that she'd been lying to me, and to the whole camp about something major. I realized that she only wanted to be friends with Shane Gray, the pop star, and not me," he told her quietly.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because she lied to me, too. If she really wanted to be friends with me, she would have told me the truth and not lied. When I found out, I was beyond ticked off, so I did the first thing that came to mind and practically screamed at her. I haven't seen her since this afternoon when I did that," he finished with a wince.

Connie nodded, before turning around and pouring the French fries onto a glass plate, salting them lightly. She turned back to the young man in front of her, putting the plate and a soda in front of him. "Here you go. Enjoy."

Shane smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks, Mrs. Torres."

"Call me Connie, Shane. Quick question for you."

"Sure."

"Can I give you some advice, me being a mom and all?" she asked tentatively, watching him inhale slightly and nod.

"Go ahead."

"It sounds to me like you really care about this girl, right?"

"I do, but I shouldn't, not after what happened."

"Sounds to me like you don't really want to just not care anymore," she remarked softly.

"I don't want to just forget about her, but I'm not sure if I can forgive what she did. I know it sounds crazy, but she seemed to get me, like she understood what I was going through with just everything. She treated me like I was any other guy, and that was okay that she did that. She just……..she saw right through me in a sense, you know?"

"Oh, I do. The same thing happened to me and my husband. We met in high school, and he was the basketball star, so he put on this face with everyone else. I ended up seeing right through it, we began to date, fell in love, got married, and had Mitchie. So yes, I do know what you mean," she replied understandingly.

"At least your story had a happy ending though," he replied with a scoff.

"Oh, there were bumps along the way, and it hasn't always been perfect. No relationship is _exactly_ perfect. My advice to you though, if you still want it, is to go to this girl and talk to her. Maybe give her a chance to explain what happened and why she did what she did. Who knows, you might find out that it was just some big mix-up."

He exhaled and shrugged. "I don't know. I hope so. Thanks again, Connie, for the food and just listening to me go on and on."

"Anytime, hon. You have a good night, and just make sure to bring that plate to the mess hall in the morning," she asked him politely.

He grinned and nodded before taking the plate and soda, exiting the kitchen and heading back to his cabin. If it was at all possible, now he was even more confused than when he had gone in the kitchen. He wanted to talk to Mitchie and find out what the story was, but his pride was getting in his way. His body was on autopilot as he found his cabin and managed to get his cabin door open without dropping anything. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of two people that he knew very well sitting in the room, one on the bed and the other in the large armchair.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought that you were headed out of here on the first flight back to L.A.," Shane said with confusion in his voice.

"No, you _assumed_ we were headed out of here today. We decided to stick around for a bit, get some fresh air, maybe a tan," Nate replied ironically with a grin.

"Oh, and we can work at finishing my birdhouse! You did get started on my birdhouse, right?" Jason asked.

Shane groaned frustratedly and sat down on the bed next to Nate, placing his soda on a coaster. He began to eat his burger, thoughts of Mitchie and considering still talking her about had happened an option.

Nate was the first to notice that something was wrong and seriously off with the way his fellow band mate and friend was acting. "Okay, what's wrong? You look like crap."

Shane glared at him. "Gee, thanks, Nate. That really made me feel a lot better."

"Seriously though, what's wrong? You look like your dog just died," Jason said.

Shane swallowed his food, trying to decide between telling them and not telling them. "Guess it can't hurt to have a second and a third opinion. Remember the girl that I told you about that I met on the docks, Mitchie?"

Both boys nodded. "She and I got to know each other pretty well, and I told her some stuff, and it turns out she was lying to me all summer. She had told everyone here that her mom was the president of Hot Tunes China, and instead, her mom's just a cook…..here at the camp."

"So that's why the food tasted better this year! I told you something was up," Jason said to Nate triumphantly.

"No, you didn't. All you said was that the food tasted different than how it did when we went to camp here," Nate retorted.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did so!"

"Did not."

"Guys!" Shane interrupted.

"Sorry," both boys apologized, looking sheepish.

Nate was the one who spoke first. "Okay, so her mom's a cook here and not president of Hot Tunes in China, and that's a problem how? Because Mitchie lied about it?"

"Yes, it's a problem! I thought that I could trust her, so I was honest with her, and it turns out she was lying to me!" Shane said in an exasperated tone.

"So you met her, got to know her, found out she lied to you, and now you don't like her anymore?" Jason supplied.

"I wish that that was the case, because it'd be a hell of a lot easier than dealing with this. I just…..I don't know what to do. I know what I want to do, but my pride's keeping me from doing it, not to mention the fact that it still hurts like shit," Shane replied crossly.

"Well, no one ever said that love was easy or fun. If it was, everybody would do it," Nate told him.

"No, really?" Shane retorted sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Shane. It's not easy and it sucks at times," Nate said.

"And what makes you say that I'm in love with her? I never said anything about that," Shane told him.

"Please, you were staring at her, like the entire we performed today! And you don't usually act like this over a girl. Look, if you like her, maybe you should just talk to her. Ask her why she lied to you or whatever happened and just hope that you can fix it. If you really care, you should at least talk to her about it first," Jason piped up quietly in a rare moment of wisdom.

Shane was silent as he let the words sink in. He would at least consider what they'd both said, and give it some thought before making a decision. "I'll think about it. Right now, all I just want do is crash. Where are you guys staying?"

"Here. Your Uncle Brown brought in two extra beds so we're staying here. Is that cool?" Nate asked.

"Yeah, sure," Shane replied as he began to get ready for bed.

"Just make sure that you don't snore. It's way too loud," Jason complained.

"I don't snore. If anyone does anything in their sleep, you're the one that talks in his sleep!" Nate retorted.

"No, I don't! And what makes you so sure anyway? You don't have any proof!"

"Guys!"

"Sorry," they both replied.

--

Shane shifted in his bed again, trying to fall asleep for the millionth time that night. Jason and Nate had both fallen asleep before he had, and thankfully, neither of them talked or snored in their sleep. That wasn't the reason for him waking up from a half sleep; he'd woken back up because of _her_. He moaned quietly in frustration, because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her out of his head! The one time when he should have been able to put her out of sight and out of mind, he kept dreaming about her and it was starting to drive him out of his mind.

He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, the internal battles in his mind raging on with no stop anytime soon. He knew he still liked her and had feelings for her, there was no doubt about that. It was just the fact that she had lied to him that kept him from saying anything to her about it all. He scoffed as he remembered that after he had performed with Nate and Jason that he had planned on telling her in private how he felt. He had been nervous as anything, and he didn't get nervous very often. Then Tess had practically made Mitchie tell them all the truth, and everything had gone to hell in a hand basket.

"Why can't I stop thinking about her? I shouldn't be thinking about her like this, I should hate her for lying to me," he whispered to himself.

'_The only problem with that idea is you couldn't hate her if you wanted to. You tried to do it earlier and failed miserably. You're in love with her, and you're not stopping anytime soon.' _

"She lied to me. I can't just forgive that."

'_Really? The problem isn't that you can't forgive her; the problem is that you can, and you want to, but you won't. You'd rather be a stubborn idiot than hear her out and tell her how you feel.' _

"Who's to say that she even feels the same way about me? I'd be risking everything all over again," Shane retorted to himself.

'_True, you would be, but you know she's worth it and you know that you want her as more than just a friend. It's a chance you have to take,'_ the voice told him, making him say and shake his head, actually wondering if he _was_ losing it.

He let out a heavy sigh in frustration. "Why did she have to do it? Why didn't she just tell me the truth?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, not caring if he was too loud.

Nate groaned and sat up sleepily to look at him. "Shane, you seriously need to shut the hell up and go to sleep. You've been like this for the last half hour."

"I think that's easier said than done, Nate, or I would be asleep by now," Shane grumbled back.

"Just keep it down, okay? You're starting to drive me up the wall."

"Yeah, I'll try. Go back to sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

Nate nodded and laid back down, scoffing at Jason, who was peacefully asleep in his own bed. Shane swallowed and put his hands behind his head, thinking about everything that had happened, as much as he didn't want to. 'The worst part about this whole thing is that I'm actually thinking about forgiving her,' he thought to himself. He huffed before punching his pillow and rolling over to his stomach in a futile attempt to get some sleep and banish any thoughts of her from his mind, not knowing what would happen the next day.


	2. Realizations

Author- Angel17712

Last Updated- 9/7/08

Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Camp Rock or any of the characters that were in the movie. I just use them for a little while and then return them when I'm done. (winks)

A/N- Okay, wow! I'm incredibly sorry that it's taken me so long to update! This chapter went through several changes, which is part of why it took some time. Not to mention, I got hit with a nasty case of writer's block that decided it was going to stick around for awhile. I want to dedicate this chapter to Enigma, Scarlett, and Buckeye Babe! Y'all are AWESOME and thank you so much for all of your input and being a kick ass sound board! Thanks for the honesty! (hugs)

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Everyone knows the age old saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Normally, that's a phrase that most people would use during a petty argument over something pointless, and Mitchie herself had used it once or twice herself when she'd been younger. Shane's words, the last words he'd uttered before spinning on his heel and striding away from her, those words cut her to the core. She had been called names before and had been told things that hurt her deeply, but the look on his face and in his eyes combined with his words, not to mention the fact that everyone now knew that she'd been lying, was too much for her to take. She swallowed once, silently bidding the tears welling in her eyes to disappear, but to no avail. Before they could begin to fall, Mitchie felt a presence at her side.

"Not here, you don't," came Caitlyn's soft voice. Caitlyn put an arm around Mitchie, almost as if to shield her from everyone else and began to walk through the crowd, glaring at people who stood in her way. The crowds parted at the look they were getting from her; the look that dared them to stay in her way, the one that said that there would be hell to pay if they didn't move and make aside for them to get where they wanted to go.

When she knew that they were away from everyone else, Mitchie blinked once, finally letting the tears begin to fall with a choked sob, not even bothering to try and brush them away as they seared her cheeks. She was in a slight state of shock, allowing Caitlyn to lead her to wherever it was that they were going; Mitchie couldn't have cared less, so long as they were going somewhere where she could lie down and cry to her heart's content for however long she felt like it.

Caitlyn steered her friend toward the cabin that belonged to Mitchie and Mrs. Torres. She glanced at her friend, noting that even though Mitchie was still crying, she looked to be in a bit of a daze, as though she hadn't quite understood what had just happened. Either that, or maybe Mitchie thought that it was all just a bad dream or something. She shook Mitchie a little to get her to see where they were. She watched as Mitchie realized where they were and nodded before heading up the few wooden stairs and going inside, causing Caitlyn to follow right behind her. Caitlyn took her friend by the shoulders again and maneuvered her to the nearest bed so she could sit down.

Mitchie vaguely felt something comfortable beneath her and not caring what it was, she twisted around so she could lay down on it properly. She felt Caitlyn sit down next to her and neither said a word until Mitchie broke the silence.

"Why did I do it?" she whispered.

"What?" came the reply.

"Why did I do it?" Mitchie repeated. "Why didn't I just tell him the truth while I had the chance?"

Caitlyn's brow furrowed in confusion. She and Mitchie hadn't had much of a chance to talk since work at lunchtime and even then, both had been busy working and Caitlyn knew that the kitchen wasn't a place where you discussed something if you wanted it to remain private. "What do you mean?"

Mitchie took a deep, shuddering breath. "I mean, today. Nope, scratch that, every day. Practically every day of camp, I've seen Shane Gray and could have told him the truth."

"You mean in hip-hop dance class right?"

"No. Well, yes. I saw him in class all the time, but then we were always running into each other around camp. The first time I met him was in the kitchen and he didn't know who I was. I'd put on a chef's hat and some flour all over my face," Mitchie said with a wistful smile as she remembered.

"You put flour on your face? Why?"

Mitchie shrugged. "Because I was nervous and sorta scared, I guess. I didn't want him to know me as the girl who worked in the kitchen. I wanted him to know me as me. And no, I didn't stalk him to find out where he was going to be, and I didn't plan on running into him later down by the docks. I heard him playing his guitar, and we talked a little about what he'd been playing, and I told him that I'd buy what he'd just played, no matter what. From there on, we either ran into each other just randomly or agreed to meet up and just talk. God, Caitlyn, he told me things that were just personal and intense, things I don't even think that he's ever told anyone else. How could I not tell him?"

Caitlyn could practically hear the tears welling up again. "I don't know, Mitchie. That's something that you're gonna have to figure out for yourself. Chances are though, you probably didn't tell him for the same reason you didn't tell everyone else."

"Gee, thanks. _That_ really helped."

"Hey, I'm doing the best I can. So now that you've got a really big mess to clean up, what are you gonna do?"

Mitchie frowned. "You mean I can't just stay in my cabin all day and never come out? Because that sounds really nice right about now."

Caitlyn threw her friend a glare. "Don't even think about it."

"Too late."

"Well, you can take that idea and just kick it in the ass, Mitchie Torres. What about helping your mom in the kitchen so you could come here? Remember that? And what about Final Jam?"

Mitchie's eyes widened in horror as she really did remember. "Caitlyn, I was going to sing with Peggy, Ella, and Tess! Now what am I going to do?"

"You could just sing solo. You've got a great voice, you know."

"Sing solo? In front of tons of people and alone for the first time? I don't think I can."

Caitlyn scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Can't or won't? I think you can do it, you're just afraid to and you won't do it. Tess said something to you, didn't she? She somehow goaded you into singing in her group that day that you sang in class, right?"

Mitchie gave a committal half shrug and nod. "Yes and no. At first, I told her I wanted to sing in Final Jam alone, and then she had me thinking that that might not be the best idea."

"Yeah, because that's how Tess works. Mitchie, I wish that you could have seen the look on her face as she listened to you sing in Brown's rhythm class. She was so green, so envious of you and the praise that Brown was giving you, I wish I'd had a camera. She was insanely jealous and felt threatened by you, so she did what she normally does: she fucking managed to make you feel insecure about singing by yourself so you'd settle for singing in the background with her. Trust me, she did pretty much the same thing to me, remember?"

Mitchie groaned. "I know. I don't want to sing with her at all now, but I want to be in Final Jam."

"So sing by yourself. You're a great singer, and I'm pretty sure that, if you want, I could help you come up with a good tempo to one of your songs."

"Caitlyn, everyone hates me now, or haven't you forgotten? I lied to the entire camp," Mitchie said.

"Look, not everyone is like Tess. They're all going to eventually forgive you or just have completely forgotten about it by the time Final Jam rolls around. You've got to face them all sometime, even him."

Mitchie nodded shakily and sat up, trying to swallow back the tears. "Okay, I'll think about it, I promise. What about until then, though?"

"What do you mean? You can't stay in here all the time, and your stuff is still in Tess' cabin. Don't forget, you've got hip-hop class tomorrow morning. Besides that, dinner's half over by now, so you can go down to the mess hall," she stated, making Mitchie groan.

"I'm not that hungry."

"Mitchie, you need to eat and you're going to, whether you like it or not. Are you going to be okay if I leave for a little bit?" Caitlyn asked as she stood up and brushed herself off.

"Yeah, I'll be okay," she answered with a firm nod, motioning toward the door. "Go on, I'm not going anywhere."

Caitlyn gave Mitchie one last look before turning around and opening the screen door, letting it bang shut behind her.

* * *

When the door slammed shut, it was almost as if a dam inside of Mitchie burst, one that she hadn't been aware that she'd been building. The floodgates opened as hot, salty tears poured down her cheeks, falling to hit her legs. She didn't want to cry in front of Caitlyn anymore, who had already done more than enough for her. Mitchie hadn't expected Caitlyn to be so nice to her, especially after Caitlyn had found out first that Mitchie had lied to her, but she'd been surprised. Her new friend had led them here, back to the cabin, so Mitchie could be alone to think.

Her eyes landed on a box of tissues nearby, making her lean over to the nightstand and grab a few. She sighed shakily before bringing them to her eyes, wiping at them and her cheeks, hoping to make the tears go away. She took a deep breath and managed to calm herself down to where she would be okay. What she hadn't counted on was seeing Shane's face in her minds' eye when she least expected it, causing the tears to begin again. What made her cry wasn't that it was him; it was the look on his face that made her cry all over again. A look of betrayal, hurt, regret, and deep pain was etched on his face as he had practically yelled at her in front of everyone, and the worst part was, she knew she deserved it from him. She knew when she'd started the lie that it was wrong; after all, she hated lying anyway and it wasn't something she did on a normal basis. She hadn't expected it to spread like wildfire across the camp and reach his ears, but when she found that it had, she couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth, even though she should have trusted him.

'_Don't you just love hindsight, and how it's 20/20?' _a voice in her head whispered, making her groan in frustration. Oh, she'd known that she was wrong, and at the time of starting her lie, she had only slightly cared and the fact that Shane Gray might find out never even occurred to her. It surprised her later as to how easily she had managed to pull it off. One lie came after another as she moved in with Tess, Peggy and Ella, forcing her to keep up the charade of lies that she'd built for herself. Once Caitlyn had been assigned to kitchen duty, it had only made matters worse for her, because now, she had Caitlyn to contend with and try to work around. She failed in keeping it a secret from her now friend, and Mitchie had been afraid that once Caitlyn knew that the entire camp was going to know, but she found out that she could trust the girl that wanted nothing more than to be a producer. Caitlyn and Mitchie quickly grew to understand each other, and Mitchie understood what Caitlyn had meant by some of her comments about Tess and singing. The two had grown closer as they spent time together, but Mitchie never told her that she was either running into or meeting up with Shane.

'_And why would you? You had one on one time with the one guy here at the camp that most girls would kill to have that kind of time with. You were afraid that if you did tell anyone that you wouldn't have that anymore.' _Mitchie shook her head again, trying to clear it but knew that the voice in her head was right. She loved that they spent time together alone, just the two of them. She loved that he saw her for her and that he was open and real with her at the same time. The tears began to fall again as she remembered times that they'd spent together, and knowing that they were only going to fade to distant memories, times like that with him to most likely never happen again. The last thought only made her cry harder, her hands seeking out the pillow and pulling it to her chest as she curled into a ball.

* * *

Caitlyn took one last look at the cabin before stepping down the few stairs and heading down the path toward the mess hall. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was 7:15 pm. "Perfect. The mess hall should be empty by now, and knowing Connie, she's gonna have the kitchen cleaned from top to bottom already." Caitlyn continued on her way to the mess hall on autopilot, her thoughts overrunning her mind. She didn't know Shane Gray personally, but from what she'd seen on TV, he could be a bit of an ass. She frowned to herself, huffing slightly. From what Mitchie had told her, it didn't seem like Shane was like that with her, because if he was, Caitlyn knew that Mitchie would have slapped the attitude out of him, figuratively anyway. "Although literally would be pretty damn amusing, too," she said to herself with a bit of a grin which quickly faded to a thin line. If Shane Gray was to show up in front of her at that moment, she knew that she would have had a hell of a hard time trying to decide between royally kicking his ass and making him talk to her best friend, who was probably sobbing over him by now. "He really better hope that I don't run into him anytime tonight, or I'll kick his ass so hard, his great grandchildren will still be feeling it," she growled to no one in particular.

To her shock, she found herself at the mess hall sooner than she'd have normally believed. She walked around to the back entrance, where the staff and cooks entered. She grinned to herself as she saw that everything was neat, clean, and straight as a pin. Dinner might have just finished less than an hour beforehand, but you never entered the kitchen to find it messy after a meal. Caitlyn entered and saw Connie at the fridge, turned away from her as she looked for something.

The older woman turned around and, upon seeing Caitlyn, jumped slightly. "Caitlyn, I wasn't expecting to see you there. You scared me. Is everything okay? I wanted to come find you and Mitchie before I had to come in here and work, but I had no time, and then I didn't see either of you at dinner. I wanted to talk to her about what happened earlier tonight."

Caitlyn bit her lip in worry. Here was the hard part, trying to decide what to tell your best friend's mom when said best friend is curled up in their cabin, crying her eyes out over a guy that, chances were, Connie probably may or may not run into during the rest of camp. Not to mention the fact that Connie didn't know that Shane had reamed her daughter out in front of everyone. "She's not feeling too well because of what happened earlier with Tess, so I took her back to the cabin," Caitlyn half lied. "I hope that that's okay?"

"Oh sure, honey. It's no problem at all. Actually, the cabin's been kinda quiet without you two around, what with me having to work in here and you two having classes all the time and the open mike nights and random competitions. How is she doing?"

Caitlyn sighed. "She's upset because of what happened, which is understandable. She doesn't have to tell me, but I know that she feels horrible about lying to everyone, Connie."

"Maybe I should talk to her."

"You could, but judging from how she's acting, she'll come to you eventually and want to talk to you about it. And if she doesn't, just tell me and I'll knock some sense into her for you," the young girl replied with a wink.

Connie chuckled and was grateful that her daughter had made such a good friend. "All right, even though I don't want to wait. What can I do for you, sweetie?"

"I was actually hoping that Mitchie and I could eat in the cabin for dinner? I know that you've already finished in here, so—"

"Don't even worry about it. I'm glad to do it, you know that. What do you say to spaghetti? I just put it in the fridge, and it shouldn't take me but a few minutes to heat up," Connie suggested, making Caitlyn nod happily.

"That would be great, actually. Do you need me to help with anything?" she offered, receiving a shaking head from the head caterer.

"Nope, but thanks for offering. Just sit down and relax for a few minutes while I put it together, okay?" she said as she left the kitchen.

Caitlyn smiled in return. "All right, if you say so." She grabbed a stool and pulled it over to the counter and hopped up onto it, her hands resting on the countertop. She began to beat on top of the smooth surface lightly, not even realizing she was doing it or that anyone else had come into the kitchen behind her.

"That sounds great, I like it," came a slightly deep but soft spoken voice, making Caitlyn 'eep' and jump slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said as he came into her line of sight.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm cool," she replied as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"I like it, too. You think we could get her to help us with our new sound?" came another voice, making both of them turn around.

"Jason! That's kinda rude, don't you think?"

"Not really. It's not like I asked her to build me a birdhouse or anything, because that's just something that you don't ask a stranger to do," Jason said pointedly. "I wonder if Shane's finished mine, yet."

Nate's chin fell to meet his chest as he gave up. He sighed before raising his head to look at the girl sitting on the stool. "I'm really sorry; you'll have to forgive my friend here. He—"

Before Nate could finish, Connie re-entered the kitchen through the main door, brushing her hands on her apron. "Looks like I have two more guests. How can I help you gentlemen?"

Nate squirmed uncomfortably. "Yeah, thanks. Um, we're kinda hoping you can, seeing as how it's after dinner, we're kinda….um, hungry, and we….sorta wanted to avoid….you know," he said as he motioned to the set of large swinging doors, making Caitlyn giggle.

"What? You're afraid of a bunch of fangirls? That's rich," she teased, making him look at her with a slight glare. She grinned to herself, noting how cute he looked and then smacking herself internally. _'Stop it, Caitlyn! Now is so not the time!'_

"You try dealing with them AND the press all the time. Besides, some of them are just….." he broke off with a shudder, making her laugh.

"It's okay, I'm just messing with you. My name's Caitlyn and this is Connie Torres, the awesome cook/caterer here at Camp Rock this year."

He offered her a smile and his hand. "I'm Nate, and this is Jason, as I'm sure you already know," he replied as she shook hands with Jason first then Nate, reluctant to let go of his hand.

Connie smiled and clapped her hands once. "Okay, so it's gonna be the three of you then. Is spaghetti okay with you two?" she asked Jason and Nate, who nodded in acquiescence.

"That sounds great, Mrs. Torres," Nate replied politely.

"Oh please, call me Connie, it's fine. Give me a few minutes and I'll have your food ready," she told the trio with a wink before heading off.

The three teens sat in awkward silence before Caitlyn decided to break it. "So, I loved the song that you guys played at the Beach Jam today. It was great."

"Thanks. Shane actually came up with the words and music for it, and once we were able to practice it, it just clicked really well. We're hoping that the record label loves it, too," Nate said with a smile.

"I just love it all: the words, the tempo, the rhythm, the….okay, I'm gonna shut up now. Sorry, it's just the producer in me that's rambling. Don't mind me," she told them with a blush.

Nate cocked his head to the side, noting that she was blushing and internally liked it. 'Wait, what? I don't even know this girl.' He shook his head to clear the thought away. "No, don't worry about it. So you're a producer?"

Now it was Caitlyn's turn to squirm in her seat. "Well, I really want to be. That's what I've wanted to be pretty much my entire life growing up. I've been surrounded by music, but I've never been one to have the guts to get up on stage and sing, and working behind the scenes fits for me," she replied.

"See? I told you she should totally help us with changing our sound!" Jason exclaimed, making Nate groan and Caitlyn laugh.

"No, you technically asked if she could help us with changing it. And as a producer, that wouldn't really be her job, but more ours. And besides, she never even said she wanted to help us," Nate retorted.

"Yeah, but she might! You didn't ask her, did you?"

"That's beside the point! She never even offered!" Nate told him in annoyance.

Caitlyn had had enough. "Hey, you two! Said girl in question is still standing right here."

Both boys stopped arguing and looked sheepish. "Sorry."

"It's fine. As far as your conversation goes, if you can call it that, I'd have to see about the whole producing thing. I've still gotta finish camp first, and even then, there's everything else that we'd have to deal with, mainly your third band mate giving his two cents, too," Caitlyn told them.

"Shane? Nah, he'll be fine. He's the one who wanted to change our sound. Besides, if he doesn't like it, he can get over it. He'd manage," Nate replied with a grin.

Before Caitlyn could reply, Connie strode over, carrying a large tray and setting it down. "Okay, here you go. Spaghetti and sodas for four, nice and hot."

"Four? Who else is eating?" Jason asked confusedly.

"My friend, Mitchie. She's back in our cabin and she's not feeling so good," Caitlyn informed him as she took two of the plates and sodas before setting them onto a spare tray.

"Tell her we hope she feels better," Nate said politely, making her smile warmly at him, causing his stomach to clench slightly out of nervousness.

"I will. Thanks so much again, Connie," Caitlyn called out as she began to head out of the kitchen with the food.

"It's no problem, hon. I should be back at the cabin by about 9 or 10, okay?"

"Okay, see you then!" Caitlyn said, the door shutting behind her, giggling when she heard an exclamation of "This tastes great!" coming from Jason.

She walked much more carefully, balancing the tray with the sodas and spaghetti atop of it. Her thoughts wandered to Nate as she continued to make her way back to the cabin. She hadn't initially liked his attitude, but once he'd realized she was just teasing, they quickly got along. And it also helped that he was cute, she mused silently. She hadn't expected either of them to be like that, so easy and carefree with each other or around someone that they didn't even know. She was glad that they had been that way with her and not afraid that she was a fangirl of theirs, making her grin at the thought. "Those poor guys are probably tired of all the screaming they get from girls, no wonder they didn't want to eat during the actual dinnertime," she remarked with a grin. She couldn't blame them either. If she was in their position, the screaming would probably be driving her nuts also. She continued to think about Nate, her attraction to him and how she liked him just a little, almost walking by the cabin entirely, she was so engrossed in her thoughts.

She carefully climbed up the stairs, balanced the tray on one arm as though she'd been doing it her entire life, and opened the door, propping it open with her foot and body before carefully edging into the room. The sounds of crying met her ears, making her sigh. She quickly set the tray down on a nearby table before crossing to the bed and getting up on it, nudging Mitchie slightly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine. See?" Mitchie told her in a falsely cheery voice as she sat up and wiped at her eyes and cheeks forcefully.

Caitlyn scoffed. "Uh huh. I think you're forgetting that this is me you're talking to, not Tess. What is it, Mitchie? Is it him again?"

Mitchie bit her lip and nodded, causing Caitlyn to pull her friend into a comforting hug. The pair sat that way for several minutes before they pulled apart, both chuckling slightly.

"Thanks," Mitchie offered.

"For what?"

"For just being here, for being my friend when no one else would be. You don't have to stay here, you know."

"Yeah, I do. You'd do the same for me if you were in my position, so don't even try to think about making me go away," Caitlyn told her firmly.

"But—"

"No buts. I'm here because you're my friend and you need me. Besides, it's not like anyone else is gonna kick Shane Gray's ass for you," she said with a snicker, grinning at the horrified look on Mitchie's face.

"Caitlyn, please don't!" she begged.

"Why the hell not? The guy was a total jerk toward you! He didn't even give you a chance to try and defend yourself. I at least gave you that much," Caitlyn growled.

"One, he's usually a jerk anyway. Two, because he was right. I lied to him, and I deserved him yelling at me," Mitchie replied, making Caitlyn's jaw drop in shock.

"No, you didn't! I mean, I know you lied, but you only really lied to Tess, Peggy and Ella, not to him. The lie just ended up reaching his ears, so he had no right," she argued.

"Maybe I didn't tell it to him first, but I had tons of chances to tell him the truth and I didn't, so yeah, I deserved it."

Caitlyn made a face. "Okay, so aren't you mad that he yelled at you in front of practically everyone?"

"Well, I'm not mad so much as I wish that it hadn't happened in front of everyone."

"So can I beat him up for that then? If anything, let me beat him up for making you upset," Caitlyn suggested, making Mitchie look at her in shock.

"You really have this thing about hurting him, don't you?"

"Hey, the jerk is making my best friend cry her eyes out over him, so yes, he deserves to be hurt. Please?"

Mitchie shook her head. "No. Doing that won't help anything."

"Yeah, it will. It'll keep me from killing him with my bare hands if I see him at all. But seriously though, if he so much as goes near you, I might not be responsible for what I do after that."

"Then try to control yourself, please. If nothing else, then for me," Mitchie pleaded.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes and groaned. "All right, fine. I'll try to not kick his butt anytime soon, fair enough?"

"Thank you, that's better," Mitchie replied with a small smile.

Caitlyn smiled at her and stood up, crossing to the table and returning with the tray. She handed Mitchie a plate of spaghetti, some utensils and placed a soda on the table next to her. "There you go."

"I said I wasn't that hungry, Caitlyn. Thanks, though."

A scowl quickly replaced the smile on her face. "Okay, you've got two choices. Either you can quit moping and eat the spaghetti, or I can force feed it to you. It doesn't matter to me, but I'd really prefer it if you'd feed yourself, but you are going to eat. So what's it gonna be?" she asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

Now it was Mitchie's turn to roll her eyes. "All right, fine. I'll eat a little bit, if that'll make you stop."

Caitlyn grinned triumphantly before taking her seat on the bed again, grabbing her own plate. The pair sat in silence for several moments, both eating and the only sounds in the cabin those of silverware clinking as it touched the plates. Caitlyn grinned inwardly as she looked at Mitchie's plate, noting that her friend was hungrier than she's admitted; there was only a little bit of food left.

"Okay, I don't want to eat anymore," Mitchie groaned as she put her plate on the tray and groaned a few minutes later.

"Me either, I'm stuffed. Do you feel a little bit better now?" Caitlyn queried, making Mitchie nod.

"A little bit, yeah. Thanks for making me eat."

"What are friends for?" she grinned as she took Mitchie's plate and put it on the tray before crossing the room to put it on the table, making a mental note to grab it on their way to the kitchen to work the next morning. She turned around to see that her friend had grabbed a pillow and was hugging it tightly to her chest, her chin on top of it.

"You know what? You're gonna stop hearing it, eventually, and what he said to you won't hurt nearly as badly," Caitlyn said, trying to comfort Mitchie, giving her another hug.

"But the look on his face! He's never going to forgive me, Caitlyn!" Mitchie said, her head on her friend's shoulder. She could feel the tears cascading down her cheeks again and knew that if it wasn't already, Caitlyn's shirt would be drenched in tears soon.

"Hey, you don't know that. I mean, I forgave you, didn't I? Besides, if he's as good of a guy as you told me he was earlier, then he would forgive you. You made a mistake, you're only human. If he can't see that and that he should forgive you, then it's his loss," Caitlyn said softly, making Mitchie only cry more. Caitlyn's heart went out to Mitchie, making her silently wish that Shane Gray, asshole extraordinaire, as she'd taken to calling him in her head, could see this. 'If he could see this and listen to it, maybe then he might pull his head out of his egotistical ass and talk to her,' Caitlyn growled in her head, vowing that if nothing else, she would make sure that things between her best friend and Shane were set right. 'And if I have to lock them in the smallest space imaginable to make them fucking talk to each other, then damn it, I will.'

A dull 'thump' sounded outside, making both of the girls' gasp out and break apart from each other. "Stay here. Let me go and see who's outside," Caitlyn ordered as she got up, Mitchie nodding in agreement.

Caitlyn deftly crossed the cabin to the front door, opening it quickly and stepping outside. "Is there anyone there?" she asked, only to be met by the sounds of crickets chirping peacefully. She frowned before shrugging her shoulders, letting the door slam shut behind her. A sigh escaped her lips and she glanced at her wristwatch, seeing that it was nearly 9 pm. Granted, for someone who hadn't had an enormous secret revealed to everyone at camp and then had been emotionally upset after, hitting the sack before 10 would be early, but Caitlyn knew Mitchie was exhausted and in no mood to retrieve clothes for herself. She crossed the room and put her hand on Mitchie's arm gently, nudging her.

"Tell you what. Why don't you grab a shower and I'll go get some clothes for us both to sleep in? I'm gonna stay the night here with you. Is that okay with you, or is your mom going to mind?"

Mitchie shook her head. "No, I don't think she will, especially if she knew what happened tonight with Shane."

"Mitchie…."

"I know I have to tell her soon, but just not tonight. I need some serious sleep and a shower sounds really good right about now," she smiled gratefully as she got off of the bed and headed toward the bathroom. "See you in a little bit?"

Caitlyn nodded and watched as Mitchie went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, the shower turning on a few moments later. Satisfied that Mitchie was occupied, she headed out of the cabin for first one place then the other. Her cabin was close to Mitchie's, and she was able to slip in and out with few questions from her own cabin mates. She stopped by Mitchie's cabin to drop off her own things before heaving a sigh, as now she had to stop by the cabin where the witch from hell was staying along with Peggy and Ella. She moved at a brisk stride, wanting to get back before Mitchie finished showering so she'd have something to wear. She quickly reached the cabin and went up the steps, only to be met by Peggy at the door, who was wearing a scowl on her face.

"What do you want?"

"I just came to get Mitchie's clothes. Can I come in?"

"No, actually, you can't, and you might want to be thankful that Tess isn't here right now, or she'd be bitching you out."

Caitlyn scoffed, her arms crossed over her chest. "Do you honestly think I even give a shit what Tess thinks or cares about me? Believe me, if I could have, I would have kicked her ass right there in front of everyone for what she did to Mitchie, and if you don't get out of my way or get me Mitchie's clothes, then your ass is the one I'm gonna be kicking," she snarled.

Peggy's jaw tightened as she nodded tersely. "Before I let you in, I have one question for you."

"What?"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping Mitchie after what she did, how she lied to everybody? Wait…" Peggy's brow furrowed as she came to a conclusion. "How long did you know the truth?"

Caitlyn sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get in if she didn't answer. "I've known for a little while now. I'm doing this because Mitchie's my friend. Even if she made a stupid decision by lying to everyone, it was her decision to make."

"Why didn't you tell everyone when you found out?" Peggy asked.

"Why didn't I? It wasn't my secret to tell. She didn't even tell me, I just managed to find

out when I went in on my first day for kitchen duty. I think she would have been relieved if I had told everyone, but you know what? I'm not a spiteful bitch like Tess is, because I actually _care_ about my friends and I don't use them."

Peggy's eyes flared angrily. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know _exactly_ what it means, Peggy. It means that Tess is using you for whatever the hell she wants, and you being blindsided by the fact that she's practically famous because of her mom, you're doing whatever she makes you do, whether it's singing back up or letting Tess take all of the spotlight or cleaning up her messes. Let me give you a bit of advice: if you want the judges to even consider choosing you as the winner of Final Jam, then you might want to tell Tess to go fuck herself. Can I come in now?" Caitlyn asked impatiently, tapping her foot as she watched the dark-haired girl stand there in shock.

Peggy moved to the side to let Caitlyn get past her, still in numb shock and knowing that somehow, Caitlyn was right. She slowly turned and managed to catch the door before it slammed shut, still trying to understand what Caitlyn had told her.

"Hey! What are you doing? What is she doing in here?" Ella asked.

Peggy shook her head. "Don't worry about it, just leave her alone."

Caitlyn decided to tell her the truth. "I just came here to get some of Mitchie's clothes, all right? I'll be out of here soon enough because trust me, I don't even want to be in here, considering who your third cabin mate is."

"Wait, huh? Is she talking about Mitchie or Tess?" Ella questioned confusedly.

"I'm talking about the bitch from hell, the blond, back-stabbing one. You might know her, her name starts with a 'T' and ends with 'ess'. Am I ringing any bells here?" Caitlyn said sarcastically as she slammed Mitchie's clothes into a bag she'd brought with her.

"That's not nice of you to say," Ella replied.

"I wasn't really trying to be, because I don't care about being nice to her," Caitlyn retorted.

Before Ella could reply again, Peggy interrupted. "Caitlyn, how did you know all of that? What you said to me out on the porch?"

The girl in question sighed heavily and straightened, hands on her hips. "You really wanna know?"

"No, I'm just asking for fun," Peggy said with an eye roll. "Yes, I do."

"It had better not leave this room, understand?" she said threateningly, making both girls nod. "I used to be friends with Tess, and I used to be exactly where you guys are right now."

"Wait, you mean you were—"

"Uh huh. I used to be in league with Tess Tyler. I used to suck up to her and kiss her ass just like you two do now, I'm sure. And you know what? I finally decided that I wasn't going to put her bullshit anymore and told her to go and screw herself, even though I waited until after she had fucked me over royally. Look, I don't know either of you that well, but I'm guessing that neither of you are a stone, cold bitch or a hoity-toity wannabe singer, so that's why I'm hoping you'll take my advice and perform either alone or with someone else or other people rather than Tess. Okay?"

Both girls nodded, Ella still trying to process everything she'd been told while Peggy had heard it all, loud and clear. "Thanks for the advice."

"No problem. Thanks for letting me get some of Mitchie's stuff. I'll try and come by some time tomorrow to get the rest of it. Is there a time when Tess isn't here?" Caitlyn asked with a slight grin, making Peggy shake her head and smile.

"She usually walks around in the morning and again in the afternoon right after the hip-hop class with Shane. Does that work?"

Caitlyn ran through her schedule mentally, unable to think of anything that would stop her from being there. "I can't think of anything that would keep me from coming, so yeah, I'll be here. See you guys then," she replied before grabbing the bag of Mitchie's clothes that she'd packed and opening the door, letting it slam shut behind her before Ella could ask her anything about what she'd said.

She felt a bit better now that she'd told them that. She picked up her brisk pace again, knowing that Mitchie most likely was already out of the shower and wondering where Caitlyn was. Caitlyn's thoughts began to stray to Nate, but she shook herself silently. "No, you can think about him later, not now when you've got to get back to the cabin without crashing into anything," Caitlyn muttered to herself. She walked quickly down the star-lit and occasional overhead lamp-lit path, finally reaching Connie's cabin again. She entered the wooden building and smiled upon seeing that the main resident was there already.

"Hey, Connie."

"Hi, Caitlyn. I see that you and Mitchie both enjoyed your dinners," the mother noted as she gestured to the tray.

Caitlyn smiled and nodded, hearing the shower turn off and glancing at her watch, seeing that she herself had been gone for close to a half hour. "Yes, we did. Thank you, and you didn't have to do that."

"No, I told you in the kitchen that it was fine. I'm glad you enjoyed them."

"What about Nate and Jason? Were they there for a long time after I was?" Caitlyn asked, trying to sound off-handed.

Connie grinned inwardly, knowing that Caitlyn was interested in the curly-haired member of Connect 3 but that she didn't want anyone to know. "They were only there for a little while, but I think they both liked it. They kept arguing about the food when they'd been here as campers, and they were absolutely wonderful. A little while after they left, Shane Gray came by the kitchen as well."

Caitlyn did her best to sound as uninterested as possible. "Did he really? What happened?"

"Well, I guess he ended up just missing dinner time altogether, so he came in and was really tentative about asking me to get something for him. He was very polite though, and not at all what I'd expected from the news. He was a little upset, unfortunately."

"Oh?"

Connie squirmed slightly. "I'm not so sure I should tell you. He told me in confidence."

"Don't worry about it. I promise I won't tell anyone, and besides, he's my hip-hop class teacher. So what happened?" Caitlyn asked, trying to sound slightly bored and yet interested at the same time.

"He told me this story about this girl that he'd met here at the camp and how they'd talked to each other. He told me that he fell in love with her and that she'd lied to him and he wasn't sure if he should forgive her for doing that. I gave him some advice and told him that if he cares about her that he should talk to her," Connie replied simply.

Caitlyn sat on the bed in a bit of a daze, having heard the best news that she could have possibly heard: Shane was in love with Mitchie, and while he was still mad at her……. Caitlyn grinned in her head. 'I can seriously work this.' Ideas were already springing to life in her mind as to how she was going to get Shane and Mitchie alone and in the same room together. The sound of Connie's voice snapped Caitlyn from her thoughts.

"Is Mitchie okay?" Connie queried.

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah, she'll be okay. She was just really upset because of everything that happened." Caitlyn grabbed the bag and walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it before receiving a "Just a minute!" from within.

The door opened a moment later and Mitchie was there, dressed in only a towel, her long, dark hair still fairly wet. "Hey, mom! I didn't hear you come in."

"I just got here a few minutes ago, finally done with everything."

"Here's your stuff, Mitchie," Caitlyn said as she handed the bag to Mitchie, grinning when a smile broke out on Mitchie's face.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I seriously owe you so badly!" Mitchie cried out happily, making Caitlyn smile.

Caitlyn grinned mischievously. "Tell you what: you sing at Final Jam, and we're even."

The aforementioned smile on Mitchie's face was quickly replaced by a scowl. "Caitlyn…"

"Just get dressed and we'll talk about it later, okay? You're not getting out of this, so it's no use avoiding it," Caitlyn said with a shrug, making her friend groan.

"You're evil," came the whispered reply.

"No, I just refuse to let you hide out in this cabin till the end of camp," was the satisfied retort. The door shut with a snap, making Caitlyn grin as she turned around with a smirk on her face. She was met with a questioning look from Connie, an eyebrow raised.

"All right, what's going on?"

"Nothing, really, Connie. Mitchie's fine, she's just nervous about performing in the Final Jam coming up. She was going to perform with Tess Tyler, but changed her mind and she's gonna do it by herself now," Caitlyn lied easily, knowing that she and Mitchie hadn't really discussed the details of Mitchie performing solo.

The middle-aged woman sighed and shook her head. "All right, I won't pry any further. I'm glad that she's going to perform though. The music that Mitchie comes up with is amazing. There's such meaning to it, it reaches out to you."

Caitlyn nodded. "I know! And the worst part is that Mitchie doesn't think it's any good when she's great at it and singing. She sang the other day in Brown's rhythm class and it was just awesome. Everyone loved hearing her sing."

"Well, I'm glad to know that it's not just me that thinks that she's great," Connie said with a smile, her head lifting when the bathroom door opened and a pajama pant and tank top clad Mitchie stepped out.

"Who's great?" she asked with confusion.

"We're talking about you and how amazing of a singer you are," Caitlyn informed her, a blush instantly appearing in Mitchie's cheeks. "And don't even say that you're not that good. I've been coming here for years, and Brown doesn't give compliments out to everyone like he did to you."

A grin spread across Connie's face. "See? He thinks you're good, too."

"Uh huh, whatever you guys say. So what took you so long to get done, Mom?" Mitchie asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Well, I had just cleaned up from dinner when Caitlyn came in and wanted dinner for you two. Then just as I came back into the kitchen from the main hall, there were two other young gentlemen there. I think their names were Nate and Jason? Anyhow, they wanted some dinner too. I threw together some of the spaghetti from dinner, and Caitlyn left with a tray for you two, but the boys stayed at the kitchen and were entertaining. Once they left, I was almost done cleaning up when Shane Grey came in."

"Really? What did he w-want?" Mitchie asked nervously.

"He had missed dinner, so he politely asked, which shocked me, considering everything that you hear on the news about him, if I could get him something to eat. He looked bothered about something, so I asked him to tell me what was wrong as I made him a burger instead of spaghetti again. He seemed a bit better after he told me what had happened," Connie said with a smile as she moved about the cabin, getting her things together for a shower.

"What did he say happened?" Caitlyn asked, already knowing the answer.

"That he met this girl while he was playing his guitar and without meaning to, he fell in love with her. Then he found out that she'd lied to him and he said that he got pretty upset with her today in front of the camp. He wouldn't say who, though."

'_He'd have been dead before he could have taken one step if he had told you, Connie,'_ Caitlyn thought to herself.

"He seemed really confused though," Connie continued. "He said he loved her, and that he didn't know what to do, so I gave him some advice."

"Really?" Mitchie asked, curious to know what her mother had said.

The older female nodded. "I told him to go to this girl and to give her a chance to explain herself, that maybe it was all some sort of mistake. He seemed like he genuinely cared about her…..and he looked almost torn, somewhat heartbroken."

Caitlyn's eyes widened at Connie's words and the young girl risked a glance at her friend, seeing that tears were welling up in Mitchie's eyes and were going to quickly spill over any second.

"Caitlyn, is it all right with you if I get a shower?" Connie asked, tearing Caitlyn from her thoughts.

"S-sure, go ahead. I usually shower in the morning anyway," Caitlyn replied, silently praying to whatever god was listening that Connie would hurry. She didn't have long to wait before Connie grabbed her things off the bed and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, the water coming on a second later.

The moment the sounds of water running were heard, at the same moment, Caitlyn's eyes flashed to Mitchie's own, seeing that tears were still present, but that her friend was doing a good job of biting them back. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine. And I told you he hates me," she said in a clipped tone.

"Hey! Don't say that! Your mom never said that he hates you. He's just really confused right now and doesn't know what to do. Did you happen to miss the part about him being in love with you?" Caitlyn asked as she leaned back with a quirked eyebrow.

"No, I didn't miss that," Mitchie said with a sigh.

"All right, then. Listen, I know it hurts, okay? And I'm not saying that it shouldn't or that all of this won't, because it's going to. What you need to do though, is dry your eyes before your mom comes back out here and starts asking questions. Unless you've changed your mind about telling her what happened with Shane? Because I'm sure she's just gonna love him when she hears about that," Caitlyn said sarcastically with a bit of an evil grin, thinking about Connie finding out the truth and what would happen to Shane when she did.

Mitchie took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to reign in her crazy emotions and calm down before her mother came back out and demanded an answer as to why her daughter was nearly crying. No, she definitely didn't want or need for that to happen, that was for sure. Not before she was ready to tell her mom what exactly had happened after she'd left. She grabbed a tissue and began to wipe at her eyes again before looking at Caitlyn for inspection. "Better?"

"Much. And you're welcome. So what are you gonna do about this whole thing with Shane?" Caitlyn asked tentatively, praying that it wouldn't set Mitchie off again.

She took a breath before answering. "Just give it some time and give him some space. Just see what happens and go from there, you know? Even though this hurts like crazy."

Caitlyn nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. You're gonna be okay, though. Um, before your mom gets back, shouldn't we figure out where I'm gonna sleep?"

"You'll have to ask my mom, but I'm pretty sure that she won't mind sleeping in the other room. There's a bed in there that I'm pretty sure she never touched and she was just using the room for our bags and stuff," Mitchie replied simply.

"Okay," she said. Before she could say anything else, the female in question exited the bathroom, already dressed in pajamas with her hair wrapped in a towel and piled atop her head. "Hey, Connie?"

"Hmm?"

"If it's not too much of a problem, can I sleep in here, in this bed next to Mitchie's? If she starts to get sick or if I think she needs you for anything, I'll come and wake you up," Caitlyn promised.

Connie stopped what she was doing to consider it, but when she saw the look on her daughter's face, one of silent pleading and looking as though she'd been crying, she relented. "All right, you can sleep in here. You two need to get some sleep; we've got an early morning in the kitchen tomorrow, and we're making waffles for over 300 people."

Both girls' noses instantly wrinkled at the thought of having to work in the kitchen the next morning. "Great," Caitlyn said sarcastically.

"Oh, stop. We'll be fine. See you in the morning, mom," Mitchie said as she got off of the bed to kiss and hug Connie before returning to her bed.

"Night, Connie."

"Good night, girls. Love you both." The older woman flipped off the lights once Caitlyn was in bed before she disappeared back into the bathroom. Several moments later, she re-emerged and shut the light off before opening a door that led to another room and shut it behind her quietly. While it didn't take long for Caitlyn to fall asleep, Mitchie was still wide awake, despite still being full from dinner and emotionally drained from having cried so much. She sighed to herself as her thoughts began to wander toward the boy that she had lied to and had just found out less than an hour before was _in love_. And with _her_, of all people to be in love with. She knew that there was nothing special about herself. Most, if not all, of the kids at camp were better at singing than she was, and they'd been coming to Camp Rock and practicing for years. They'd gotten to practice with Brown, while the only practice she'd gotten had been in choir and the safety of her own bedroom, two places where she knew no one would hear her.

The hours seemed to fade away as thoughts swarmed Mitchie's head. The idea of singing at Final Jam with Tess, Peggy, and Ella hadn't seemed too bad, once Mitchie had gotten used to it. Now that she knew for sure that she would have to sing alone, she knew she'd rather die than have to sing solo in front of everyone. And the worst part about it was that _Shane_ would be there, watching and judging her performance. She groaned and smacked herself mentally. Somehow, her thoughts always managed to come back to the Pop Star that had practically yelled at her in front of the entire camp. _'And I deserved it, too,_' she thought silently, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks again. The mind was a cruel torture device, she decided, as hers began to replay the entire scene over and over again: him singing with Nate and Jason, Tess forcing her to reveal that her mom didn't work for Hot Tunes China, but instead as the camp cook; seeing the look on her mother's face, and the one on Shane's as the realization sunk in. A sigh escaped her lips along with more tears that she wiped away furiously, knowing that neither would get her anywhere but Caitlyn consoling her. She smacked herself internally when she remembered that she'd been louder than she'd meant to be and before she could stop her, she felt Caitlyn's hand at her back.

"You okay?" Caitlyn asked in a heavy, sleep-laden voice as she flipped on a lamp.

"Yes. No. Not really," Mitchie answered. "You didn't have to get up, you know."

"Yes, I did. I told your mom that unless you really needed her, that I'd be here to take care of you. So I'm here, trying to help you feel better."

Mitchie nodded and glanced at the clock on the nightstand, seeing that it was nearing three. "Maybe you can answer a question for me, Caitlyn."

"Hmm?"

"Why does what he said matter so much? I mean, it was humiliating, rude, and painful to hear, and normally, I'd just push it away and not let something like that drive me crazy. So why does it bother me?" Mitchie asked as she sat up, crossing her legs.

"I don't know. Why does it bother you?" Caitlyn responded with a yawn.

"You can't answer my question with a question. That's not fair."

"I can, and I did. It's completely fair. So, why does it bother you? I mean, you guys are only friends, right? Well, except for the fact of him being in love with you, but that shouldn't make a difference."

"It doesn't. Well, not really. I mean, we're just friends, kinda. We would just hang out together, and he would sing new songs that he'd written to me. I could tell that he'd poured everything he had into them, though, you know? He seemed so passionate when he was writing them, like music was something he couldn't live without, like he needed it like he needed his next breath of air. It just reminded me of myself. I mean, I don't think I'm anywhere near as good as some of the other people here, and don't glare at me," she accused.

"It's a little too late for that, but go on. You never once saw him as more than a friend?" Caitlyn probed, knowing differently.

"Well…..maybe, and that's a big maybe. Yesterday, which it technically is, he was out by the canoes and singing Play My Music, and I showed up and surprised him. We decided to take a canoe ride out on the lake to see if he sounded any better out there. We weren't doing it right and just kept going around and around in circles. We sort of flirted while we were out there, and then we had to come back. But then there was……" Mitchie trailed off.

"Yes?" Caitlyn prodded, managing to successfully stifle a yawn.

"Remember the day you found out that I'd been lying?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that same day, I ran into Shane on my way to the kitchen and he asked me to listen to a new song that he'd written. We went down to the docks and he pulled out his guitar and began to play and……oh, no," Mitchie whispered, the realization hitting her as though she'd run into a wall.

"What? What's wrong?" Caitlyn asked, though a part of her knew and just wanted to hear it.

"I can't be…….I mean…how…..I think I'm in love with him, Caitlyn," came the shocked and scared reply.

'_Finally, she admits it.'_ "So what are you gonna do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because you can't expect him to know how you feel if you decide to just hide out in here, which isn't happening, but that's beside the point. You need to tell him how you feel," Caitlyn said softly.

"How am I supposed to do that when he won't even talk to me?" Mitchie retorted in a whisper.

"You don't know that, Mitchie. Look, for now, just try and get some sleep. This will all somehow look better in the morning, I know it will," Caitlyn told her, determined to talk to the idiot that her friend was in love with.

"But…"

"Just get some sleep. At this point, we're both going to be beyond exhausted in a few hours when your mom wakes us up. We can talk later today, okay? I promise."

The promise that they would get to talk more later on in the day sated Mitchie for the moment. "All right. And Caitlyn?" she said as her friend began moving back to the other bed.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. You're an awesome friend, and I don't know what I would have done without you," Mitchie sniffled.

Caitlyn smiled to herself before reaching over and giving her friend a hug. After a moment, the two broke apart and Caitlyn shut off the lamp before climbing back in the other bed. Mitchie unfolded her near numb legs and laid back down, squirming and moving around until she was comfortable. She heaved a sigh before shutting her eyes and trying to go to sleep, even though she knew her sleep would be plagued with dreams of a dark-haired Pop Star that had her heart.

* * *

Wow! This chapter is much longer than the first one, I think! Lol. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it!


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